Roads not taken
by SirOuroboros
Summary: The roads not taken can make all the difference


**Disclaimer: **The usual don't own it wish I did.

**Feedback: **Yes Please

Prolog

**Africa:**

Alexander Harris 'Xander' to everyone that knew him was a bloody battered mess, bearing more than a passing resemblence to 210 pounds of raw hambuger.But hambuger or not he was still upright,a fact that would have amazed any of his former compatriots had they seen the brutally relentless beating he had just barely survived.

"Your wish then" A voice like a cement mixer before the water got added rumbled from the darkness.

"I want to go back" Xander's voice was a harsh whisper telling of the pain he was still withstanding.

"To where?"

The demon was actually curious now.In it's nearly eternal existance it had granted wishes to any that had passed it's test regardless of species and this was a rare one. Not unheard of ,everyone had a mistake they wanted to fix but few had the courage to ask for the chance to fix it.

"Sunnydale August 28 1979 7:35 am just after sunrise in the center of town with the contents of my wallet intact and in my back pocket."

Curious for any being let alone a human to be so precise in their wish. Usually the devil was in the details and that was were the demon collected the price of the wishes he granted, in the details.After turning the request over and peering at it from multiple angles the demon found the hitch.

"The events you change will cost you your existance as it now stands." Let the mortal chew on that for then see if he was so eager.

"I know"

Interesting, so the mortal wanted to end it's existance. Nothing new there, though there were quicker, less strenuous ways to do so.

"Granted" One less mortal anyway you achieved it was a victory.

Xander only hear the first two letters as the demons power siezed him and in that instant tossed him across 26 years and thousands of miles.

**Sunnydale Ca. Aug 28 1979 7:50 am**

Anthony 'Tony' Harris wasn't having one of his better days.First he woke up late and now his third hand truck was broken down 5 miles from the site of his new job with Sunnydale Construction with exactly ten minutes left before he was supposed to be clocking in.If he was late today of all days all the hard work that had gone into convincing old man Jackson that the son of the town drunk could and would hold down a job would be out the window along with this job.He had started walking as soon as he realized the truck wasn't moving under it's own power ever again hoping that maybe he could find a payphone here in the middle of nowhere, but was quickly coming to the decision that it just wasn't going to happen for him. Hearing a distant sound on the breeze he turned just as the car crested the hill.

It was nice, probably an import, defintely new and it was slowing down as it neared the place where he was standing.As the car pulled to a stop next to him the passenger side window rolled down.

"Need a lift?" the young man driving was at least 6 years older than Tony's own 18.

"Yeah actually I do" The driver waved Tony into the car and started rolling as he was shutting the door.

" So where too?"

"Five miles straight up this road.Big sign says future home of Sunnydale Mall"

"No problem" The rest of the ride passed in silence as Tony decided to call his younger brother Rory to tow the truck to Morgan's shop on his noon break now that it looked like he was in fact going to get there on time.Whatever the stranger was thinking about he didn't share but that was ok. Tony wasn't much of a talker himself.The miles passed quickly and before he even realized it Tony was climbing out of the car right in front of the sign he had described.

"There you go." Said the stranger as he reached across to close the door.

"Hey wait a minute." Tony put his hand on the edge of the door to keep it open."Who are you anyway?"

"Just someone helping someone else out"

"Can I at least get your name?"

"Sure, it's Alex"

"Well thanks Alex.Thanks to you I might just have a job."

"No problem, really it's the least I could do"

"You going to be around town?"

"Nah just heading through."

"Well have a safe trip wherever it is your going.

""Thanks.Good luck on the job ok?"

"Yeah thanks for the ride."

This time when the driver,no his name is Alex Tony reminded himself, reached across Tony helped by pushing the door into his reach.He had already turned to head over to the office to clock in when it struck him just how much Alex had looked like the picture of his father in his Marine uniform that sat on the mantle at his mother's place.He turned around intending to flag the guy down,but there was no one there,not even a tire track to show where the car had sat.

"Weird" He muttered as he made his way over to clock in.


End file.
